Best Skid Plate for Oil Change Access (1 Viewer)

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Heritage 2020

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TN & MT, USA
Greetings All,

I plan to do my own oil changes as I like working on my cars/trucks as part of the “fun in ownership.”

That said, what skid plate (if any) offers the greatest ease in oil change on a 2020 200 Series. Is it the factory/OEM, or does someone have experience with another skid plate that made things easier.

NOTE: For now, I’m not fully sold on the Baxter performance setup—which would make things a lot easier.

Thank you in advance as I appreciate the insights.
 
Budbuilt has an access hole for the filter which has a cover with a few small bolts. Pretty easy. Definitely don’t have to drop the skid.
 
Stock. I’ll be putting a thread together with video soon, but the stock skids take approximately 30 seconds to remove with the right tools. I’m not exaggerating.

Aftermarket skids generally accommodate oil changes with an access hole that does open quickly, but significantly restricts access to the filter area compared to the wide open setting of the factory drivers side part removed.

If I weren’t taking my rig to places that I risk damage, I’d be running stock splash shields and the budbuilt cat protection plates for security.
 
I have the Dissent skids and you remove one section to get to the oil filter, it’s 6 bolts and it takes a minute or so. The oil drain plug is accessible without removing anything, if I remember correctly, but I use the Jowett setup so removing the drain plug is moot.

Bonus to the Dissent skids is there is access for the front zerks… since you’re changing oil you’ll be greasing those as well.
 
I have ARB Skid Plate/s and I cut an access inspection hole so that I don't need to remove the skid plate when doing the oil change. Plus I have those ez-drains and Jowett filter housing.
 
IMO, I like the stock setup and there's little reason to change it up. Sure there was a little adapting once all the cars went to cartridges. The stock setup does the job and does it well if you take time to understand how it's done. Even the stock skids come off quick and easy with the right tools to zip off the screws. Other than skids which I get, I don't really see the value in the other oil change improvements.
 
I bet mine are the best for oil changes. Too bad I haven't put in the effort to make more sets.

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Not the ARB ones. You have to completely remove the front skid plate to get to the oil filter cartridge and it's a PITA. You have access to the drain plug without removing anything but it makes a mess....
 
+1 for budbuilt and oil changes. Three 5mm bolts and you're at the filter. I have a Fumoto valve, so no need to drop the skid or create an oil bath when oil drain plug removed.

With that said, you do have to drop the skid to get to the front driveshaft/zerks best I can tell.
 
The oil change access is about #15 on my prioritized list of why I'd buy a particular skid plate, but I'd have to say that Budbuilt nailed it. As others have said above, they make it easy, especially easy if you use the BJowett filter housing and Fumoto valves, but good access even with the stock filter/drain setup.

The oil pan drain on these engines sucks with or without a skid. Holy mess batman. The Fumoto valve there is possibly one of the best maintenance updates of all time.
 
The oil pan drain on these engines sucks with or without a skid. Holy mess batman. The Fumoto valve there is possibly one of the best maintenance updates of all time.
I disagree, without a skid system at least. With the stock drain there is nothing to break off if you do manage to put a rock through the splash guards, and I’ve done 18 oil changes so far between mine and my friends and haven’t had anything I could consider a mess... I don’t think I have ever had a drop miss the drain pan, other than when I have the big fan going to cut down on mosquitoes anyway.

With a skid system fumoto is a different thing entirely. I can’t speak for others but Slee’s drain access hatch doesn’t plan for the residual drips after the flow slows down. So in spite of not liking how the valves slow down the oil drain I may end up getting one soon.
 
I disagree, without a skid system at least. With the stock drain there is nothing to break off if you do manage to put a rock through the splash guards, and I’ve done 18 oil changes so far between mine and my friends and haven’t had anything I could consider a mess... I don’t think I have ever had a drop miss the drain pan, other than when I have the big fan going to cut down on mosquitoes anyway.

With a skid system fumoto is a different thing entirely. I can’t speak for others but Slee’s drain access hatch doesn’t plan for the residual drips after the flow slows down. So in spite of not liking how the valves slow down the oil drain I may end up getting one soon.
OK, maybe my recollection of how messy it is with the stock system is wrong. Apologies. I do know that with aftermarket skids, and no fumoto valve, it was very messy. Could just be operator error. I like my setup now. No mess, no fuss.
 
Bone stock here and I can agree that without the drain systems/valve that it's a messy endeavor doing an oil change.
 
If the used oil was blood, my first change without the Fumoto would look like a crime scene. It was definitely a learning experience.

Since the Fumoto, no issues. No mess for sure.

@bloc I get the extra real estate of the Fumoto potentially creating a snag hazard without protection, but have you seen this happen? I'm thinking if it's bad enough to break off the drain valve, it'd likely do some serious rearranging of the stock drain pan/plug too.
 
@bloc I get the extra real estate of the Fumoto potentially creating a snag hazard without protection, but have you seen this happen? I'm thinking if it's bad enough to break off the drain valve, it'd likely do some serious rearranging of the stock drain pan/plug too.

Fumoto or similar replaces a solid metal bolt with a hollow threaded tube that is needed to let the system work. The likelihood of it shearing off and dumping the oil is much higher with an incidental strike than the stock plug. Yes you can still knock a hole in the stock pan, but that fumoto valve is much less robust than the stock setup.

If you have a skid system, I view this as a non-issue.
 
SLEE skids have an access door for the filter, probably similar to BudBuilt. For me it is a non-issue for oil changes.

I purchased a drain valve/hose that screws into the oil filter housing when it is time to change the filter and that makes life easier.

I also have a oil pan drain plug that a hose screws onto. If you are worried about Fumoto valves sticking out, check out this system, I have used it on Tacomas, LC, etc. Very lo-profile. No-Spill - home of the best Quick Drain Oil Plug. - No-Spill Systems - https://nospillsystems.com/
 
Fumoto or similar replaces a solid metal bolt with a hollow threaded tube that is needed to let the system work. The likelihood of it shearing off and dumping the oil is much higher with an incidental strike than the stock plug. Yes you can still knock a hole in the stock pan, but that fumoto valve is much less robust than the stock setup.

If you have a skid system, I view this as a non-issue.
Right. What I am asking is if anyone has actually seen it happen with skids, or even without.
 
on that note does any one scratch their head at the weird design of the stock splash guards and the foam insulation under the radiator? It's almost as if they expected people to take the entire guard off in once piece to maintain that foam and the seal.

There is almost no way to slide it out with out ripping. why would they design it that way.....
 
on that note does any one scratch their head at the weird design of the stock splash guards and the foam insulation under the radiator? It's almost as if they expected people to take the entire guard off in once piece to maintain that foam and the seal.

There is almost no way to slide it out with out ripping. why would they design it that way.....
When the foam is new it’s pliable enough to avoid ripping, especially if you take the plastic guard under the engine off first and don’t need to slide the metal guard forward to get it out. But heat doing what it does to plastic, that foam doesn’t last forever.

It does serve a purpose though, preventing air bypassing the radiator core.

Realistically even if the little angled part in the middle overlapping the central spine rips off the rest of the foam will do 95% of the intended job.

I actually plan to try and find some foam that will deal with the temperatures ok to put onto my slee skids.. the stock stuff is somewhat expensive if you have to buy the full length.
 

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